Conventional document format setting/editing functions for a raster image processed by an image processing apparatus such as a copying machine provide only simple functions such as synthesis of an image with a frame image and color conversion.
Application software which runs on a terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) enables relatively advanced document format setting/editing. For example, by using a document processing technique such as the OCR technique, a character image (text object) in read image data can be recognized to acquire a text code, and desired document format setting/editing can be realized for the text code as a result of character recognition (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-342350).
However, the following problem occurs.                A large amount of paper documents cannot be processed at a high speed by a conventional technique which must open images one by one to prompt the user to do document editing work.        
Also, the following demands arise.                To utilize other objects in an image in addition to a text object.        To facilitate document format setting.        To exploit image data without any image degradation.        